First Alliance Accountant Deloitte & Touche Resigns

First Alliance Corp., the Irvine mortgage lender that focused on low-income borrowers and those with poor credit, said the Deloitte & Touche LLP accounting firm has resigned as the company’s auditor.

Deloitte quit April 5, two weeks after First Alliance stopped making loans and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company had been under criticism for charging high fees and making loans with high interest rates.

First Alliance said in a document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week that the resignation did not reflect any dispute over the company’s financial statements. Deloitte, in a separate letter to the SEC, agreed.